How to fix connection not secure or not private errors at Hostinger

Resolve browser warnings about insecure or private connections on your Hostinger website

Updated 4 weeks ago

A ‘Not Secure’ or ‘Your connection is not private’ warning appears when a browser cannot verify your website’s identity or establish a secure encrypted connection. This typically occurs due to missing SSL certificates, pending domain propagation, or unpublished website content on Hostinger platforms.

Resolve secure connection errors

Follow these steps to identify and fix the cause of the connection error:

  1. Verify the website status. If your website is created using Hostinger Website Builder or Hostinger Horizons, ensure it has been published at least once. If already live, click Update or Publish after making any change and wait a few minutes.
  2. Point your domain. Hostinger Lifetime SSL requires the domain to be pointing to your website at Hostinger, using nameservers or alternative pointing methods (A record for custom PHP/HTML websites, and CNAME records for Hostinger Horizons and Hostinger Website Builder).
  3. Allow for propagation. If you recently registered your domain or updated its DNS records, wait up to 24 hours for propagation to complete. After this period, clear your browser cache or check the site in an incognito window.
  4. Check for www vs. root domain consistency. Sometimes a website is secure at domain.tld but shows a warning at www.domain.tld, or viceversa.
    1. Ensure your domain is fully pointed to Hostinger, as Hostinger Lifetime SSLs are designed to automatically cover both versions.
  5. Test the HTTPS protocol. Manually enter https:// followed by your domain in the browser address bar (e.g., https://domain.tld). If the site loads with a padlock icon, follow the steps to force HTTPS in your hosting settings so visitors are automatically redirected to the secure version.
  6. Inspect for mixed content. If the website loads but the layout appears broken or “insecure” elements are flagged, it is likely due to mixed content. This occurs when a secure page attempts to load resources like images or scripts via an insecure HTTP connection.
  7. Check for protocol errors. If you specifically get the ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR message, the SSL certificate may be have failed. Uninstall the SSL through your hPanel and perform a new installation to reset the protocol.

You can also refer to this video tutorial for more options:

Following these steps will ensure your website establishes a secure connection for all visitors. Testing in an incognito window is the most effective way to confirm that the SSL is active and that the browser is no longer caching the old, insecure version of your site.